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Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur

The history of agricultural education in Kerala can be traced back to the year 1896 when a scheme was evolved in the erstwhile Travancore State to train a few young men in scientific agriculture at the Demonstration Farm, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram, presently, the Cropping Systems Research Centre under Kerala Agricultural University. Agriculture was introduced as an optional subject in the middle school classes in the State in 1922 when an Agricultural Middle School was started at Aluva, Ernakulam District. The popularity and usefulness of this school led to the starting of similar institutions at Kottarakkara and Konni in 1928 and 1931 respectively. Agriculture was later introduced as an optional subject for Intermediate Course in 1953. In 1955, the erstwhile Government of Travancore-Cochin started the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Mannuthy, Thrissur for imparting higher education in agricultural and veterinary sciences, respectively. These institutions were brought under the direct administrative control of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry, respectively. With the formation of Kerala State in 1956, these two colleges were affiliated to the University of Kerala. The post-graduate programmes leading to M.Sc. (Ag), M.V.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees were started in 1961, 1962 and 1965 respectively. On the recommendation of the Second National Education Commission (1964-66) headed by Dr. D.S. Kothari, the then Chairman of the University Grants Commission, one Agricultural University in each State was established. The State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) were established in India as an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System to give the much needed impetus to Agriculture Education and Research in the Country. As a result the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) was established on 24th February 1971 by virtue of the Act 33 of 1971 and started functioning on 1st February 1972. The Kerala Agricultural University is the 15th in the series of the SAUs. In accordance with the provisions of KAU Act of 1971, the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, were brought under the Kerala Agricultural University. In addition, twenty one agricultural and animal husbandry research stations were also transferred to the KAU for taking up research and extension programmes on various crops, animals, birds, etc. During 2011, Kerala Agricultural University was trifurcated into Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and Kerala Agricultural University (KAU). Now the University has seven colleges (four Agriculture, one Agricultural Engineering, one Forestry, one Co-operation Banking & Management), six RARSs, seven KVKs, 15 Research Stations and 16 Research and Extension Units under the faculties of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering and Forestry. In addition, one Academy on Climate Change Adaptation and one Institute of Agricultural Technology offering M.Sc. (Integrated) Climate Change Adaptation and Diploma in Agricultural Sciences respectively are also functioning in Kerala Agricultural University.

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Subject: Veterinary Microbiology × Author: Raja Gopal, R × End date: 2009 × Start date: 2000 × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Production and evaluation of vaccines employing Pasteurella multocida A:1 grown under different growth conditions
    (Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2007) Raja Gopal, R; KAU; Krishnan Nair, G
    A research work was undertaken to prepare effective vaccines against P. multocida grown under different conditions and their immunopotency assessed in one month old ducklings. The purity of the Pasteurella multocida A: 1 strain (DP1) was confirmed as per standard procedures. Pathogenicity of the isolate was assessed in six to eight weeks old mice. The isolate killed the intraperitoneally inoculated mice within eight hours and within 24 h when injected by subcutaneous route. The organism was grown in different media to assess the amount of capsular material produced. The media employed were DSA, DSA supplemented with 10 per cent FBS and DSA supplemented with 10 per cent FBS and 0.5 per cent yeast extract. The capsule enhancement was measured by capsule demonstration using Maneval staining and by characterization of crude capsular extract. The capsules of the organisms grown in capsule enhancement media when demonstrated using Maneval staining were discernibly larger and denser, when compared to the organisms grown in DSA alone. The capsular polysaccharides increased by approximately 1.6 times when the organism was grown in capsule enhancement media containing 10 per cent FBS and by about 2.06 times when grown in media supplemented with FBS and yeast extract. The potential of the organism to form in vitro biofilm was assessed by growing the organism in nutrient restricted conditions. The organism was grown in 0.32 per cent TSB supplemented with an inert substrate called bentonite clay, for the bacteria to attach and colonize. For quantification of biofilm, plate count by spread plate method was employed and the results showed that the biofilm cells reached a peak on the third day of incubation with an average count of 1.54 ×106 CFU/g of bentonite clay while the planktonic cells were found to be maximum on day one post inoculation, with a peak count averaging about 8.10 ×108 CFU/ml of the broth. Maneval staining of late logarithmic phase of three day old biofilm culture revealed heavily capsulated cells of P. multocida attached as large aggregates and appearing as chains of coccobacillary cells. Also they appeared as a meshwork of aggregated and chain forming cells. The capsular polysaccharide estimation of biofilm cells revealed a 3.25 times increase over the planktonic bacteria grown in DSA alone. The biofilm cells on nutrient agar after 24 h at 37°C produced some colony morphotypes characterized by radiating strands from centre to periphery and wavy margin. Median lethal dose (LD50) of P. multocida when determined in one month old ducklings was 23 cells. In the present study, it was unable to arrive at the median lethal dose in six month old ducks as only one duck died after 48 h of virulent challenge. Oil adjuvant formalin inactivated bacterin vaccines were prepared from DP1 grown in TSB, capsule enhancement medium and under biofilm mode and performed the sterility, safety and potency tests of the vaccine employing standard procedures. A total of 160 four week old ducklings were divided into four groups with 40 birds in each group and the first three groups were vaccinated with ordinary bacterin, capsule enhanced bacterin and biofilm vaccine respectively. The fourth group served as control. The birds were vaccinated with 0.5 millilitre of vaccine intramuscularly in the thigh region. Blood was collected from all the ducks pre-vaccination, at weekly intervals upto 28th day post PV and on day 42 PV by cardiac puncture or by jugular venipuncture. Passive haemagglutination using GA-SRBC sensitized with sonicated antigen of DP1 was used to measure the humoral immune response. The IHA titres obtained for biofilm vaccine group on day 14 was very much higher than the other two groups. The antibody titre was observed from day seven onwards for all the groups. All the vaccine groups have shown significant difference from the control group at all the stages of the study. Groups I and II were having no significant difference in their mean titres during the entire study. On homologous challenging, biofilm vaccine gave higher protection rates of 70 and 90 per cent than the 60 and 80 per cent protection rates of ordinary and capsule enhanced bacterins, when challenged with 200 and 100 LD50 doses respectively. Biofilm vaccine was proved to be the best among the three vaccines tried. The capsule enhanced vaccine did not provide any additional advantage over the ordinary bacterin vaccine. Elaborate field trials are to be done before advocating the vaccine for commercial use.